Truckin'

I have begun the daunting process of learning to drive our pick-up truck. I need to do this for several reasons. I may never tow the RV, but when we’re camping I can not leave all the local running around to Bill. It wouldn’t be fair. Especially because he does all of the long haul driving. Also, what if an emergency occurs? Using the truck when we’re home will definitely come in handy. But, most importantly, conquering my fear will bring me a great sense of accomplishment.

The truck stands 6’ 6” high, is 22’ long and weighs 10,000 lbs. I am 5' 1½”. I have no corresponding length, but I’m a person of great depth. My weight is nobody’s business. All you need to know is that it’s considerably less than the truck’s. I could not be more intimidated by the prospect of driving this beautiful beast.

I didn’t get my license until I was in my late 20’s and didn’t use it regularly until my early 30’s. My late start has left me feeling less than confident in my driving abilities. I make up for that with caution. I am afraid I will not be able to handle such a large vehicle. My biggest fear is that I’ll make a mistake and damage the truck in some way. So, I’m taking things nice and slow. 

For my first lesson Bill took me to a large empty parking lot and ran me through some drills. I did OK. Better than I expected. He gave me an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Next step - local street driving. I’ve assured my family and friends I will give them plenty of notice so they can plan to stay indoors during this phase.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

-Diane

Yes, We Have No Toothbrushes

Do other part-timers have trouble remembering what they have stored in their RV? We do. Are we the only ones? Our last trip upstate was to get the RV ready for winter storage. When packing to go we were unsure what we needed to take and what we already had. Not the big stuff like pots & pans, dishes and cups, towels and sheets. I'm talking about the little things like deodorant, shampoo, paper towels, toilet paper, and most importantly, toothbrushes. We had planned to buy extra toothbrushes and leave them there. But did we?

Since long periods go by between visits we find it hard to remember. Subsequently, we go through the same routine every time and as usual we took some things we didn’t need and forgot some that we did. So, because we won’t be back in the rig until March, as part of packing up I decided to take inventory of everything we have. And being a hyper organized nut I created an excel spreadsheet of said inventory.

I’m not suggesting anyone else do this. Honestly, I known it’s a little OCD. I also know it will be a big help to us. I now know what we have and what we need. The more we can keep in the rig the easier each trip will be. The less we have to pack and transport the more pleasant the adventure. After all, isn’t that part of the charm of owning a second home on wheels. Unlike taking a trip for a week or two to some hotel or resort - where you have to take everything - my ideal is to just throw some clothes in a bag and go.

You might think we would have done this before, but we are still learning all the ins and outs of this Rving thing. Every time we do it something new comes up. This is just another lesson learned and I’m certain there are many more to come. One day, with a little luck and a lot more experience, we will have it all down pat.

As it turns out we didn’t have those extra toothbrushes. Luckily, to be on the safe side, we brought the ones from home with us. I’ve updated my spreadsheet accordingly.

-Diane

The Long Goodbye

We were back in Saugerties, NY this week. My Dad was with us this time. Mom didn’t want to come. It’s not her thing. It was his first time seeing the RV let alone staying in one. He’s wanted to see it since we got it, and we finally had the chance to make that happen. I was so excited to have him with us, to share this with him. Plus, it’s always beautiful in the Catskills in the Fall. 

The trees were still mostly green in Ulster County, so we took a drive north into Greene County in search of the Fall foliage and to show Dad where my two brother-in-laws have their houses. It was a pretty day and we saw some great color. We stopped in Windham and had lunch at the Catskill Country Store then picked up some fresh produce from RSK Farms in Prattsville.

On the way back, we stopped by Wolff’s Maple Breeze - the Catskill resort we used to stay at when I was a kid. You’ve seen the movie “Dirty Dancing,” right? Well Wolff’s is just like Kellerman’s. Every summer during my pre-teen and teen years we spent a few weeks there. The place hasn’t changed a bit and our visit brought back so many fond memories.

We spent the rest of our time preparing the rig for storage. We had several tasks we wanted to complete before we put her down for her winter nap. We made a few minor repairs and cleaned her from top to bottom, inside and out. Just before we left, we put the RV cover on for the first time. More on that later - it's still too soon to talk about it.

Our next big trip will be in March; one week in New Orleans and then a three weeks on the beach in Pensacola, FL. I’m sure the time will fly, as it tends to do, but right now it seems so far away. I think I’m suffering from a mild case of melancholy. I hate this part. I don’t like being away from the RV for long. I miss her. I worry about her. I guess, until we embark on our next adventure, I will just have to sustain myself revisiting the memories of this last year and dreaming about the new ones we will make in the future.

“And Winter slumbering in the open air,
Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!”

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

-Diane

The GPS Blues

I wrote recently about my shortcomings as an RV owner in a post titled, “It’s Not the Tools, It’s the Carpenter;” however, sometimes it IS the tool.  And of course, my sir name being Murphy and all, sometimes it’s both.

Which brings me to my RV’s GPS – which must stand for Goshdarn Piece of S...!  My RAM 2500, of which I’ve written glowingly, did not have an available navigation system that was suitable for RV’s, trucks, or other commercial vehicles. I found this a little strange since owners of heavy duty pickup trucks frequently encounter pesky things like height and weight restrictions – not to mention that a 2500 or 3500 registered in New York State requires commercial plates.

So, being the conscientious RVers that we are, we purchased a GPS that was specifically designed for RVing.  You actually enter the height, weight, length, and width of your vehicles into the GPS and it’s supposed to keep you off roads where you don’t belong – theoretically.  When I tell you that I’ve screamed at this device at the top of my lungs to do something that is anatomically impossible – I’m not exaggerating. When I tell you that I’ve gently cajoled the machine in an effort to get some clear guidance – I’m not exaggerating. When I tell you that my wife took the machine’s side in an argument – I’m not exaggerating. When I tell you that this thing took us down a snowmobile trail – I’m not exaggerating.

The first time I towed the rig (other than training) was when we picked it up in Pennsylvania and took it to it’s storage location in the Catskills.  For some unexplainable reason the GPS took us off Route 17 (major highway and truck route), put me onto a road with low vertical clearance – where I was forced to make my first u-turn, and took me up and down an ice-covered mountain.  When I say mountain – I mean mountain.  It was over a mile up and over a mile down.  At times the pitch was 45 degrees. And it was covered with ice.  The truck screamed while climbing.  I screamed while descending. Even in low gear, the brakes were about on fire by the time I got to the bottom of the mountain.

On a stop-over in Maryland we were buried in snow.  It was around 8 P.M. when the snow finally stopped and we had to leave very early the next morning.  Cleaning off the roof was pretty simple but we had the slides out and I had no way of getting up there to clean them off.  I needed a ladder.  We looked up the address of the nearest Home Depot and I plugged it into the GPS.  Me and snow plows were the only things on the roads.  The GPS got me to the neighborhood of the Home Depot but then the fun started.  “Drive 500 feet and make a U-turn.”  OK.  “Drive 500 feet and make a U-turn.”  “Drive…”  You get the picture.

Anyway, I give up on the GPS, find a poor local digging his car out, and he gives me directions to the Home Depot.  Turns out that the GPS had me driving in a circle past the street I needed to turn down to find the store.  I don’t know why – unless she was ticked off about me cursing her out.  So I pull up in front of the Home Depot.  Just to be clear, I’m looking at the giant sign and I’m about 20 feet from the door.  As I put the truck in park I hear, “Drive 500 feet and make a U-turn.” My reply cannot be printed here.

-Bill